Royal Caribbean dispatches cruise ships to help with hurricane relief

(NEW YORK) — Royal Caribbean is sending cruise ships to the Caribbean to help with Hurricane Irma relief efforts and to transport those impacted by the devastating storm to safety, the cruise line announced Sunday.

Ships from Royal Caribbean’s fleet are being mobilized and filled with supplies to “help people in need,” according to a press release.

On Sunday, the Adventure of the Seas will be making a humanitarian stop in St. Martin, while the Majesty of the Seas will make stops in both St. Thomas and St. Martin. That ship will then assist in transporting evacuees from the island.

Two additional ships — the Empress of the Seas and the Enchantment of the Seas — are ready to assist Florida cities such as Key West and Tampa once the hurricane passes through and its impact is known, the press release said.

Much of the popular tourist island of St. Martin was destroyed by Irma, which was a Category 5 storm when it hit. St. Martin’s famous Princess Juliana International Airport was badly damaged by the storm, making supplies only deliverable via helicopter.

The damage on St. Martin is so bad that some large resort companies, including Sonesta, have canceled reservations for the rest of 2017.

French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said the island’s “four most solid buildings” had been destroyed and that more rustic structures were probably “completely or partially destroyed.”

Ahead of the storm, Royal Caribbean canceled three of its cruises in the Caribbean.

The cruise line’s chief meteorologist, James Van Fleet, is closely tracking Irma’s progress to determine its potential impact to its current and upcoming sailings, the press release read.